Sleeve-type carriers are commonly used to package beverage cans and other types of articles, and are typically formed from paperboard blanks which have been folded into collapsed sleeve form. Each collapsed sleeve is opened by a packaging machine, and cans or other articles are introduced through one or both of the open ends of the sleeve, after which the end panel flaps are folded and secured together. The cans are normally introduced in upright position while the carrier sleeve is supported on one of its side panels, with the open ends of the sleeve facing out, transverse to the direction of movement of the sleeves through the machine, to receive the cans. The resulting carrier contains a layer of cans the ends of which are located adjacent the side panels of the carrier. Additionally, a handle is normally incorporated into the top panel of the carrier to facilitate lifting and carrying.
Although such carriers have been designed to contain varying numbers of articles, typical beverage can packages hold only six or twelve cans. This is partly because a conventional sleeve-type carrier would be quite long if its length were increased to accommodate large numbers of cans, and would be unwieldy to carry. Further, the heavier load caused by the additional cans would tend to promote tearing, particularly in the handle area.
One way to overcome some of the problems associated with packaging large numbers of cans in a carrier is to package them in stacked layers. This would make the package more compact and would not increase its size to the point where it could not be readily handled. For example, if twenty-four standard 12-fluid ounce cans are packaged in a carrier in two layers containing twelve cans each, with each layer being four can diameters long and three can diameters wide, the length of the carrier is the same as the length of a conventional single layer package of twelve cans, the height is only about two inches greater and the width is somewhat less than three inches greater. Yet the package provides twice the carrying capacity of the single layer conventional carrier. Further, additional layers of cans or other articles could be packaged by making the height of the carrier an additional article length greater.
Although cans and other articles have long been packaged in double layers in shipping cartons, the problems involved in packaging layers of articles in a sleeve-type carrier are not present in a double-layer shipping carton. Articles are normally loaded from the top in a shipping carton, and a handle is not normally provided in the top panel to enable the carrier to be lifted by one hand. The heavier loads caused by two layers of articles in a sleeve-type carrier require a carrier construction that can resist the lifting and carrying stresses, particularly in the handle area. Also, the greater height of the side and end panels of the carrier tends to exaggerate any tendency of the panels to be skewed in relation to adjacent panels, making it difficult to maintain the carrier in square condition in the packaging machine at the time the carrier panels are glued together. Further, when carriers are stacked for storage or shipping, the lower carriers receive quite large compressive loadings which tend to distort the carriers if provisions are not made to withstand them.
Since it would be highly advantageous to have available a sleeve-type carrier capable of holding layers of stacked articles, it is an object of the invention to provide a carrier of this type which overcomes the problems discussed.